Want to fatten up a bass guitar sound in Finale? My trick is to add a second bass staff with a different bass sound, copy the notes of the bass part to this second staff, and pan the two bass staves hard left and right.

Actually, the only thing tricky thing about this is that you might not want two identical bass parts to appear in your score. In that case, here’s how to hide any staff in Finale:

1. Select the Staff tool and double-click on the staff you wish to hide.
2. In the Staff Attributes dialog box that appears, under “Options,” choose “Force Hide Staff: in Score Only (Collapse),” as I have below:

Done. You can still access the hidden staff in Finale’s instrument list to change the sound, panning, or volume.

While I proposed using this technique to create a meatier bass sound, it’s also a slick way to produce new instrument sounds (ala Brian Wilson). You might try combining a clavinet with an electric piano, a harpsichord with a grand piano, or something entirely different.

Share how you’re exploring new sounds in Finale by clicking on “Comments” below.